www.thestatesman.com | FOLLOW US: India’s National Newspaper since 1818 BRIEFLY ECI declares paid holiday on polling days for Bihar: Patna: The Election Commission of India on Saturday declared a paid holiday on polling days during the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections and by-elections across eight Assembly constituencies in seven states. The move is aimed at facilitating maximum voter turnout by allowing employees to exercise their democratic right without work-related hindrances. The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled in two phases: 6 November (Thursday) for Phase-I, and 11 November (Tuesday) for Phase-II. The by-elections for all eight Assembly constituencies will also be held on 11 November. “Under Section 135B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, every employee entitled to vote in the elections must be granted a paid holiday on polling day,” the poll panel said in a press note. The law mandates that no wages shall be deducted for this holiday, and employers who fail to comply may face fines. This provision also extends to daily wage and casual workers, ensuring that even informal sector employees can vote without financial loss. Pages 20 | @thestatesmanltd ` 5.00 | LC | People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI CM: Unilateral appointment of interlocutor against federalism West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee confers government job appointment letters to families of deceased Bengal Police personnel in Kolkata on Friday. Kolkata Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma is also present. FILE PHOTOGRAPH STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Siliguri, 18 October C hief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly obje cte d to the Centre’s decision to appoint retired IPS officer Pankaj Kumar Singh as the interlocutor for talks on Gorkha issues in the Hills, Terai and Dooars, calling the move “unilateral and against the spirit of federalism.” In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister urge d him to reconsider and revoke the appointment, stating that the decision was made “without prior and due consultation with the Government of West Bengal.” “I was surprised and shocked to know that the Government of India has appointed Pankaj Kumar Singh as an interlocutor to hold disc ussions on Gorkha-related issues in Darjeeling, Terai and Dooars. Such a sensitive matter demands mutual respect and coordination between the Centre and the State,” Mamata Banerjee wrote. “This appointment has been made without any consultation INDIA bloc faces internal clashes ahead of first phase of Bihar elections IMRAN MOJIB Patna, 18 October The deadline for filing nominations for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections has passed, but the opposition INDIA bloc is yet to reach a consensus on seat-sharing. As a result, multiple candidates from the alliance have filed nominations in more than 10 constituencies. One of the key flashpoints is Kutumba, currently represented by Congress state president Rajesh Ram. The party has renominated him for the seat that he won twice in the past. However, tensions have surfaced following reports that the RJD plans to nominate Suresh Paswan from the same constituency. Reacting to the development, Rajesh Ram posted on X, | @TheStatesmanLtd “Dalits will not bow down,” expressing his displeasure publicly. Several other constituencies have seen similar overlaps, with more than one INDIA bloc party fielding candidates. In Gaura Bauram, Darbhanga, the RJD has fielded a candidate against VIP chief Mukesh Sahani’s brother Santosh Sahani. The RJD later clarified that the seat was allotted to VIP and assured that its candidate would withdraw. A dispute is also ongoing between the RJD and VIP over who will contest from Tarapur in Munger. Another contentious seat is Lalganj in Vaishali district, where the RJD has nominated Shivani Shukla, daughter of strongman Munna Shukla, while Congress has fielded Aditya Kumar Raja. RJD and Congress candidates are also in direct competition in several other constituencies, including Vaishali, Rosera, and Kahalgaon. Similar overlaps have occurred between CPI-ML and Congress in Bachhwara of Samastipur district, and Rajapakar of Vaishali district. JMM to contest six seats: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Saturday announced that it would contest the Bihar elections independently, fielding candidates in at least six seats, with seat-sharing talks with the RJD and Congress going nowhere. with the Government of West Bengal, even though the issues directly concern governance, peace, and administrative stability in the area under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), an autonomous body under the Government of West Bengal. Such unilateral action is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperative federalism, which is one of the foundational principles of our Constitution,” she wrote. She reminded the Prime Minister that the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) was formed through a Tripartite Agreement on 18 July 2011, among the Centre, the State Government, and the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha, to ensure peace and development in the region while protecting the ethnic identity of the Gorkhas. She added:“The GTA was created to ensure socio-economic, infrastructural, educational, cultural, and linguistic development of the Hill areas, while safeguarding the ethnic identity of the Gorkhas and promoting peaceful co-existence among all communities.” In her letter, Miss Banerjee made it clear that any move concerning the Gorkha community in the GTA region, undertaken without prior consultation with the state government, would not be tolerated ~ especially given the need to preserve the hard- earned peace and tranquillity in the region. She warned that unilateral action in such a sensitive matter would not serve the interests of peace and harmony. Several anti-BJP leaders and organisations have also criticise d the C entral government’s move, terming it a “political lollipop” ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. They allege d that the appointment is an “eyewash” aimed at gaining political mileage rather than addressing the longstanding aspirations of the Hill people. | BHUBANESWAR | 19 October, 2025 ‘GST reforms not in response to tariff war, this had to happen’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 18 October Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday denied that the introduction of GST reforms were linked to the punitive tariffs imposed by the United States, asser ting that discussions on Goods and Ser vices Tax rate rationalisation had been happening for a long time. "This has been in the works for one and a half years. Who had thought of any tariff war at that time, and several groups of ministers were working on this. And several groups of these GOMs met again, post the Government of India's package, which was sent to the GST council...So these are discussed at various levels at various times. So nowhere close to the tariff war. This had to happen. This was waiting to happen for quite some time. It has happened now," she said at a joint press conference held with fellow ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Piyush Goyal. Ms Sitharaman added that the GST reforms, which came into effect on the first day of Navratri, were received very well by the people of the country. Minister Piyush Goyal, on his part, pointed out India's high GDP growth, stating that even international agencies are bullish on India amid global turbulence. "Despite the international difficulties, in a very volatile, very turbulent international environment , India is progressing so rapidly that even the IMF had to revise its forecast upward to 6.6 per cent growth this year. In the first quarter, we saw a historic growth of 7.8 per cent this year," he said. He added that government institutions are working to keep inflation under check, which is key to ensuring healthy growth. "The Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of India, and the Monetary Fiscal Policy are taking consistent steps to ensure that India is not affected by inflation. L ast month, the lowest inflation rate in eight years was 1.5%. We all saw that after 17-18 years, S&P revised India's rating and raised it one notch, maintaining a stable outlook. Similar results were observed in the general market. Now, take a small example: car sales. Maruti Suzuki sold 165,000 vehicles in just eight days. The first eight days of Navratri," Mr Goyal stated. Ashwini Vaishnaw said domestic consumption is set to receive a big boost due to the recent GST reforms. "During the GST reform, many estimates were made about how consumption would increase, how demand would grow in the country. If we look at our GDP numbers from last year, it was Rs 335 lakh crore. Of that, our consumption accounted for Rs 202 lakh crore, and investment accounted for Rs 98 lakh crore... But because of the G ST reforms, consump tion will b e significantly increasing, and it's very likely that consumption will increase more than 10 per cent this year, which means there is a strong possibility of extra consumption of around Rs 20 lakh crore," he told the media. ‘Every inch of Pak territory within Brahmos reach’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 18 October Operation Sindoor against Pakistan was ''just a trailer'', Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday, as he declared that every inch of the neighbouring country's territory is now within the reach of the cruise missile. Highlighting the role of Brahmos during the hostilities with Pakistan in May, Mr Singh said Brahmos demonstrated that it has moved far beyond a trial and has become the greatest practical proof of national security. “Operation Sindoor is proof that victory has become a habit for us, and now we must further enhance our capabilities. The operation was just a trailer. It has made Pakistan realise what might follow,” he added. Reinforcing the vision of Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath at the flagging-off ceremony of the first batch of BrahMos missiles, at the BrahMos Aerospace unit, in Lucknow on Saturday. AGENCIES self-reliance in defence manufacturing, the defence minister and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath jointly flagged off the first batch of BrahMos missiles manufactured at the BrahMos Integration and Testing Facility Centre in Lucknow. The state-of-the-art facility, a key component of the UP Defence Industrial Corridor, was virtually inaugurated by the defence minister on 11 May. Within five months, the first batch of missiles was ready for deployment. Mr Singh described BrahMos as not just a missile, but a symbol of the growing indigenous capabilities of the nation. “The missile features a traditional warhead and an advanced guided system and possesses the capability to strike long distances at supersonic speeds. This combination of speed, accuracy, and power makes BrahMos one of the best systems in the world. It has become the backbone of our Armed Forces,” he added. He underlined that today India stands at a point where it is strengthening its security and demonstrating to the world that it is a credible partner in defence and technology. He stressed that achievements such as the BrahMos have proved that Made-in-India is no longer a slogan, but a global brand. “Whether it's the export of the BrahMos to the Philippines or cooperation with other countries in the future, India is now playing the role of a giver, not just a taker. This is the true identity of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the vision with which the Narendra Modi-led government began its journey in 2014. PM Modi has given us a vision of an India which is fully developed, self-reliant, and ready to lead the world by 2047. The role of the defence sector will be decisive in this endeavour,” he said. Mr Singh said that the BrahMos team has signed contracts worth approximately Rs 4,000 crore with two countries in the last month. He stated that, in the coming years, experts from many countries will visit Lucknow, making the city a centre of knowledge and a leader in defence technology. • Related report: Page 7